My Video Game Sound Beats Your Movie Sound

Most of my video gaming friends have media-room entertainment systems (many of them cobbled together from hand-me-down gear they’ve mooched off me over the years). But, as I alluded to in my previous post, most of them view gaming and home theater as two distinctly different forms of entertainment. In fact, more often than not their gaming consoles (if they have them) are relegated to some out-of-the-way room in the house, far from the big TVs and surround sound speaker systems. And most of them experience their gaming audio by way of truly awful-sounding stereo headsets.

Which makes the complete and utter opposite of sense, especially when you consider that most video games these days boast Hollywood-caliber surround soundtracks that easily keep pace with the best UHD Blu-rays. In fact, although movies still (and probably always will) outpace video games in the realm of visuals, I’d go so far as to say that in terms of the sonic experience, few movies can come close to matching the sheer visceral immersion of modern video game audio landscapes.

After all, movie soundtracks, dynamic as they may be, lock you into a passive listening experience and limit your point of view. They make you a spectator at best. But video game sound mixes follow you around as you explore strange new worlds and live through harrowing new experiences, while still delivering the richness, impact, and artistry of professional Hollywood sound mixes. That waterfall you hear trickling down to the side of your living room wall? Chances are good you can turn and run toward it. The click of a reloading gun behind your head? You can probably dodge it if you’re quick enough. Simply put, video games don’t merely pump the action in the general direction of your ears—they drop you right in the middle of the mix and drag it along with you.

So, if you want to get the most from your sophisticated surround sound system, put down the remote control for the evening and pick up a game controller.And, hey—if it’s a PS4 controller in your hands, look me up. I go by Waryyhn on the PlayStation Network, and I could seriously use some new racing compadres.

—Dennis Burger

Dennis Burgeris an avid Star Wars scholar, Tolkien fanatic, and Corvette enthusiastwho somehow also manages to find time for technological passions includinghigh-end audio, home automation, and video gaming. He lives in the armpit ofAlabama with his wife Bethany and their four-legged child Bruno, a 75-poundAmerican Staffordshire Terrier who thinks he’s a Pomeranian.